Who Would You Most Like To Meet?

[PeterRS]

I know that this was a thread topic 15 years ago and hope there has not been a more recent one. If there has, then do not bother to add to this. That earlier thread basically asked members to list three people living or dead - they would like to meet today - and why. The replies in the earlier thread basically included former lovers, best friends and close family members who had died as well as better known personalities.

I expect the problem with those who died some time ago is that we would expect to meet them as they were then even though we have aged. I don't find that a problem. So I'll kick off.

1. The first man I fell truly and passionately in love with - a Japanese who like so many was tragically to die of AIDS.

2. Leslie Cheung Kwok-wing, the massively popular gay Hong Kong singer/actor with a worldwide following who equally tragically died too young, by suicide. He is no doubt best-known around the world for two of his large output of movies - Farewell My Concubine which won the Palme d'Or at Cannes and a Golden Globe for Best Foreign Film, and the much grittier Happy Together which was nominated for the Palme d'Or. I did have the pleasure of meeting him once professionally. Apart from his beauty - and he was indeed beautiful - he was equally interesting and fascinating to talk to.

3.  I find keeping the number down to three is very difficult. There are dozens of historical figures I would love to meet, but I think I have a debt I need to repay to my father. He was a family doctor, a profession my siblings joined. I, on the other hand, had not the slightest interest in it. While my father never did anything other than encourage me in the career I wanted, I always felt a distance from him. He tried hard to get close to me, but I had some weird determination that I did not want that. Yet he was an extremely kindly man, adored by his patients, a doctor who had no qualms about getting out of bed at 3:00 in the morning if a patient called. He had also been a prisoner of war of the Germans for five years, being captured as the phoney war started. He should have been evacuated from Dunkirk but some of the men had been transferred west along the coast to the town of St. Valery. They were supposed to be picked up during the Dunkirk evacuation but there just were not enough boats. So only a year after getting married, he was not able to see my older sister until he was repatriated by the Russians when she was five. He never talked much about the war. This was something between the men he was looking after in the camps, not for family. Thankfully my brother has spent much of the last three years finding out a great deal from the families of fellow prisoners whom he has been able to track down. Soon he will print a book for family consumption. I guess I would like to tell him I am sorry that I put up a barrier between us and I wish I had known him better.

[unicorn]

Well, in history, I'd like to meet Ben Franklin, Tom Jefferson, and Abe Lincoln. Among other things, I'd like to ask them if they were atheists. As for real people today, I remember a cousin once asking me, several years ago, if I could show him examples of men who were "my type." The first person who came to mind was Broadway's Nick Adams. He seems like a nice enough man, too. I wonder what he's really like.

As for someone I might actually meet, I've wondered how much it would cost to hire David Archuleta to sing at one of my parties. I'm sure it would be interesting to talk to him for a bit. Quite a few hunky men in their early 30s come to my parties, so he might meet someone nice, if he's not already attached. Well, summer's a ways away.

 

[PeterRS]

30 minutes ago, unicorn said:

Well, in history, I'd like to meet Ben Franklin, Tom Jefferson, and Abe Lincoln. Among other things, I'd like to ask them if they were atheists.

Although you've gone for more than three, I'd like to ask the reason for asking the initial three if "they were atheists.' Presumably you have a reason - and I expect it might have something to do with slavery.

[iendo]

I would say the boys or boyfriends from my past whom I took for granted.

[unicorn]

11 hours ago, PeterRS said:

Although you've gone for more than three, I'd like to ask the reason for asking the initial three if "they were atheists.' Presumably you have a reason - and I expect it might have something to do with slavery.

The reason has nothing to do with slavery. They simply strike me as highly intelligent, so I find it difficult to believe that they believed in God, although they lived in a time in which admitting to atheism was almost unthinkable. When he wrote the Declaration of Independence, Jefferson was chastised by other members of the Continental Congress for not including religious references into the document, and was essentially bullied into adding references to God. I'd also like to ask Lincoln if he was gay. Historical documents suggest strongly that he was, but, of course, he never copped to this during his lifetime. 

[Pete1111]

Alan Hollinghurst, British author

I would love to discuss his books with him, especially specific characters and themes.

Herbert Hoover, American president

From a humble background, he became a world famous mining engineer, philanthropist and humanitarian.

Hoover is a perennial scapegoat for America's Great Depression. I'd like to discuss why he decided to run for office and also what shaped his economic policies. 

John Tu, Taiwanese American billionaire

John Tu made his wealth in tech and became a philanthropist.  He is now past 80 years.  Mr. Tu was listening to the Fresh Aire radio show featuring a Pulitzer Prize winning journalist for a newspaper in a small Midwestern town.  Big Agri political forces were forcing the newspaper out of business.  Tu immediately dropped a big deposit in the newspaper's bank account to save them from closing.  I would appreciate hearing about his journey, his memories and his opinions about China and Taiwan, and anything else he wants to bring up. 

 

 

[vinapu]

I'd like to meet Lucy, skeleton of who I saw in Ethiopian National Museum  and ask her if she thinks , Abiy, Ethiopian prime minister really deserved Nobel Peace Prize

[unicorn]

2 hours ago, Pete1111 said:

Alan Hollinghurst, British author

I would love to discuss his books with him, especially specific characters and themes.

Herbert Hoover, American president

From a humble background, he became a world famous mining engineer, philanthropist and humanitarian.

Hoover is a perennial scapegoat for America's Great Depression. I'd like to discuss why he decided to run for office and also what shaped his economic policies. 

John Tu, Taiwanese American billionaire

John Tu made his wealth in tech and became a philanthropist.  He is now past 80 years.  Mr. Tu was listening to the Fresh Aire radio show featuring a Pulitzer Prize winning journalist for a newspaper in a small Midwestern town.  Big Agri political forces were forcing the newspaper out of business.  Tu immediately dropped a big deposit in the newspaper's bank account to save them from closing.  I would appreciate hearing about his journey, his memories and his opinions about China and Taiwan, and anything else he wants to bring up. 

 

 

Interesting list. Of all the US Presidents, it's amazing to see Herbert Hoover as a top pick. He's most commonly ranked in the bottom quartile in his performance, per scholarly rankings...

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Historical_rankings_of_presidents_of_the_United_States

[PeterRS]

5 hours ago, unicorn said:

They simply strike me as highly intelligent, so I find it difficult to believe that they believed in God, although they lived in a time in which admitting to atheism was almost unthinkable. When he wrote the Declaration of Independence, Jefferson was chastised by other members of the Continental Congress for not including religious references into the document, and was essentially bullied into adding references to God.

Long after the American Indians, I always assumed that as the USA was basically founded by a deeply religious sect from England seeking a place in which they could practice their own faith, a mention of God would be as essential at the time of the Declaration of Independence as it is even today in the Pledge of Allegiance - "one nation under God" and so on. I wonder how many Americans question which God, given that nearly 40% of the country is now non-caucasian. 

3 hours ago, Pete1111 said:

Alan Hollinghurst, British author

I would love to discuss his books with him, especially specific characters and themes.

Interesting choice. I know he is a marvellous writer even though I have only read "The Swimming-Pool Library".

[Pete1111]

1 hour ago, unicorn said:

Interesting list. Of all the US Presidents, it's amazing to see Herbert Hoover as a top pick. He's most commonly ranked in the bottom quartile in his performance, per scholarly rankings...

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Historical_rankings_of_presidents_of_the_United_States

That's interesting you frame the rankings as scholarly.  Is anything on the Internet truly scholarly?

After visiting the Herbert Hoover Presidential Library and Museum, and further reading on him I often question how many judgements concerning Hoover are offered out of ignorance.  That's why I chose the term scapegoat.  

By meeting him, I would hope to clear up a few things, such as his opinion how corrupt the prior two presidents before him were.

 

[jimmie50]

Had to give this some thought, and have what most people will think is a pretty odd list.  First up would be Eleanor Roosevelt.  Always had a fascination with her and read a number of books about her over the years.  Next would be Jonathan Bennett.  Been a fan of his for years, comes from small town in Ohio like me, and have a sense of admiration and pride in the openly gay characters he portrays on Hallmark.  Yeah...I know...Hallmark junky here, especially around the holidays.  Last would be a college fraternity buddy I had a huge crush on.  Would like to know all about his life since college days.  Lost track of him after graduation.  Pretty odd list, right?!?  

[vinapu]

2 hours ago, jimmie50 said:

  Pretty odd list, right?!?  

in sync with an original question

[Pete1111]

4 hours ago, jimmie50 said:

Had to give this some thought, and have what most people will think is a pretty odd list.  First up would be Eleanor Roosevelt.  Always had a fascination with her and read a number of books about her over the years.  Next would be Jonathan Bennett.  Been a fan of his for years, comes from small town in Ohio like me, and have a sense of admiration and pride in the openly gay characters he portrays on Hallmark.  Yeah...I know...Hallmark junky here, especially around the holidays.  Last would be a college fraternity buddy I had a huge crush on.  Would like to know all about his life since college days.  Lost track of him after graduation.  Pretty odd list, right?!?  

 

Hallmark?  Ever watch Nine Lives of Christmas?  Love that one.  Was on again last night.   

But back to your list, I like your idea of chatting with a former housemate from college days.  I was in love with a housemate at college in Iowa. He wanted to play with me but he was also very Catholic and a little homophobic. Broke my heart.  I'm still curious about him.  He has three kids by now.

On 11/21/2025 at 10:57 PM, PeterRS said:

I know that this was a thread topic 15 years ago and hope there has not been a more recent one. If there has, then do not bother to add to this. That earlier thread basically asked members to list three people living or dead - they would like to meet today - and why. The replies in the earlier thread basically included former lovers, best friends and close family members who had died as well as better known personalities.

I expect the problem with those who died some time ago is that we would expect to meet them as they were then even though we have aged. I don't find that a problem. So I'll kick off.

1. The first man I fell truly and passionately in love with - a Japanese who like so many was tragically to die of AIDS.

2. Leslie Cheung Kwok-wing, the massively popular gay Hong Kong singer/actor with a worldwide following who equally tragically died too young, by suicide. He is no doubt best-known around the world for two of his large output of movies - Farewell My Concubine which won the Palme d'Or at Cannes and a Golden Globe for Best Foreign Film, and the much grittier Happy Together which was nominated for the Palme d'Or. I did have the pleasure of meeting him once professionally. Apart from his beauty - and he was indeed beautiful - he was equally interesting and fascinating to talk to.

3.  I find keeping the number down to three is very difficult. There are dozens of historical figures I would love to meet, but I think I have a debt I need to repay to my father. He was a family doctor, a profession my siblings joined. I, on the other hand, had not the slightest interest in it. While my father never did anything other than encourage me in the career I wanted, I always felt a distance from him. He tried hard to get close to me, but I had some weird determination that I did not want that. Yet he was an extremely kindly man, adored by his patients, a doctor who had no qualms about getting out of bed at 3:00 in the morning if a patient called. He had also been a prisoner of war of the Germans for five years, being captured as the phoney war started. He should have been evacuated from Dunkirk but some of the men had been transferred west along the coast to the town of St. Valery. They were supposed to be picked up during the Dunkirk evacuation but there just were not enough boats. So only a year after getting married, he was not able to see my older sister until he was repatriated by the Russians when she was five. He never talked much about the war. This was something between the men he was looking after in the camps, not for family. Thankfully my brother has spent much of the last three years finding out a great deal from the families of fellow prisoners whom he has been able to track down. Soon he will print a book for family consumption. I guess I would like to tell him I am sorry that I put up a barrier between us and I wish I had known him better.

I still remember the day a Chinese friend walked into my condo and announced Leslie Cheung was dead.   His songs still move me.  

Of many gay films that I enjoy, IMO Happy Together is in a class by itself!  Watched it many times.  

[PeterRS]

6 hours ago, jimmie50 said:

Pretty odd list, right?!?  

I don't think anyone's list is or will be odd. Thankfully we have all enjoyed different life experiences and it is interesting to compare those of others with one's own.

Re college crushes, I could easily have put down three. I was too withdrawn at that stage to get far with two, but the third and I ended up after a year of "is he, isn't he?" concerns in a short but passionate affair. He is not on my list as we still meet up, even after all these years. As can happen, at university this one did not end on a happy note and that was largely my fault. But after a gap of some years, we bumped into each other again and have kept in touch. On my annual visits to the UK we usually meet up for a gossipy boozy lunch. We rarely talk about our college days but our gay lives since then figure prominently. He has even come to stay twice with me on short vacations to Thailand. 

In my working life, there must be at least six guys with whom I was close to, one for just one night, I would love to meet up with again.  

[PeterRS]

3 hours ago, Pete1111 said:

I still remember the day a Chinese friend walked into my condo and announced Leslie Cheung was dead.   His songs still move me.

After my two meetings with him, I did see him omce more but did not approach him. It was about two months prior to his suicide. Friends and I were having a quick supper in the lobby of Hong Kong's Peninsula hotel prior to attending an Arts Festival concert in the Cultural Centre across the road. At one point I noticed a man sitting alone at a table by a window. It was Leslie. Clearly wrapped up in his own thoughts, he looked sad, his beautiful face then almost grey. Part of me was tempted to go up, reintroduce myself and remind him of the times we met. Then the better part of me just made me stay put with my friends. I have no idea why he was eating alone; indeed, why when feeling so obviously ill did he bother to come into such a public place where people would be bound to recognise him. But he ate alone, no one aware of who he was other that the wait staff who were all far too professional to bother him.

I have before some time ago posted this PR photo for a 1981 film of three tragic young Hong Kong stars near the outset of their careers. Leslie is in the middle. On the right is Paul Cheung who became a successful radio DJ before committing suicide aged 30. On the left is Danny Chan who rose to fame a couple of years before Leslie and became a major figure in Hong Kong entertainment. He died of a drug overdose aged 35. I think Danny has the slightly better voice, although he stuck more with ballad-type songs rather than Leslie's often more edgy repertoire.